How Tickets in Other States Affect Your Insurance and License

December 19, 2019 | Uncategorized | By Personal Injury Legal Directory | 0 Comments

How Tickets in Other States Affect Your Insurance and License

If you receive a traffic ticket, there are a few ways it may affect you besides simply having to pay a fine. First, it may cause your insurance rates to go up, especially if it is not the first ticket you have received. Second, it may put a point on your license. If you receive too many points, your license may be taken away. So, if you receive a ticket while in a different state than the one you live in, you may be wondering if these consequences are still possibilities. This question has a more complicated answer than you might think, but this guide will tell you everything you need to know.

Insurance

The matter of whether your insurance provider will find out about the ticket is actually quite simple. Chances are extremely high that your insurance provider will find out, which means your rates may go up. There is nothing you can do to affect whether or not your insurance finds out, but in rare cases, the insurance company simply never gets word of the ticket.

License Points

The matter of whether points will be added to your license is more complicated. There is an agreement that nearly all states have signed which deals with this. It is called the Drivers License Compact. States which have signed this agreement share ticket information between them. The only states which have not signed the Drivers License Compact are:

  • Georgia
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Tennessee
  • Wisconsin

If you live in one of these states and receive a ticket in a different state, chances are high that your license will be unaffected. Likewise, if you receive a ticket in one of these states and live in a different one, you probably do not need to worry about getting a point on your license. However, if you live in and received a ticket in any other state, there is probably nothing you can do to avoid it.

However, there is someone else for you to keep in mind. In nearly all cases, you can choose to attend traffic school to have the point removed from your license. If you go with this option, then it will be like you never received the ticket in the first place. Alternatively, you can contest the ticket to have the fines dropped. This option would also prevent a point from being put on your license, although you may want to speak with a speeding ticket lawyer in Emporia, VA to learn how strong your case is.

Thanks to The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt for their insight into traffic law and tickets in other states.